People of the Shang Dynasty begin using oracle bones for divination
Oracle bones are pieces of ox scapula or turtle plastron, which were used for pyromancy, a form of divination, in ancient China, mainly during the late Shang dynasty.
Civilization (3000 B.C.E. - 500 C.E.)
The Olmec civilization begins to flourish in modern-day Mexico
The mysterious Olmec civilization, located in ancient Mexico, prospered in Mesoamerica from c. 1200 B.C.E. to c. 400 B.C.E. and is generally considered the forerunner of all subsequent Mesoamerican cultures including the Maya and Aztecs.
The Rigveda, one of the four canonical sacred texts of Hinduism, is completed
The Rigveda is one of the four canonical sacred texts of Hinduism known as the Vedas. It is one of the oldest extant texts in any Indo-European language.
The Slab Grave culture flourishes in modern-day Mongolia
The Slab Grave culture is a archaeological culture of the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age Mongols from 1,300 to 300 B.C.E.
Lusatian culture thrives in modern-day Poland and central Europe
The Lusatian culture developed as the preceding Trzciniec culture experienced influences from the Tumulus culture of the Middle Bronze Age, essentially incorporating the local communities into the socio-political network of Iron Age Europe.
The Phoenician alphabet, the oldest verified, is invented
It became one of the most widely used writing systems, spread by Phoenician merchants across the Mediterranean world, where it evolved and was assimilated by many other cultures.
Humans in ancient Iraq invent musical notation
The earliest form of musical notation can be found in a cuneiform tablet that was created at Nippur, in Sumer (today’s Iraq), in about 1400 B.C.E.
Humans, perhaps in ancient Mycenaean Greece, invent the lathe
A flat wooden dish which stood on wooden legs and features many characteristics of lathes was found in a pit grave at Mycenae dated at 1100 to 1400 B.C.E.
Oldest known song, “Hurrian Hymn No. 6”, composed in Ancient Sumeria
For the title of oldest extant song, most historians point to Hurrian Hymn No. 6, an ode to the goddess Nikkal that was composed in cuneiform by the ancient Hurrians sometime around the 14th century B.C.
The Lapita people discover and settle modern-day Samoa
Samoa was discovered and settled by their Lapita ancestors (Austronesian people speaking Oceanic languages), with New Zealand scientists dating remains in Samoa to about 2900–3500 years ago.